Dirk Nowitzki knocked down the game-tying jumper in the waning seconds of regulation, helping the Mavericks to an overtime win over the Jazz. The 19-year veteran talked about the emergence of Harrison Barnes and the impact of Justin Anderson. kcasas@star-telegram.com

Dirk Nowitzki knocked down the game-tying jumper in the waning seconds of regulation, helping the Mavericks to an overtime win over the Jazz. The 19-year veteran talked about the emergence of Harrison Barnes and the impact of Justin Anderson. kcasas@star-telegram.com

“My first year was rough, I’m not going to lie,” Nowitzki said. “Plus, it was the lockout year where we had 50 games in 40 days, it felt like.

“It was insane. We had back-to-back-to-backs. There were games where [coach Don Nelson] didn’t play me at all.”

My first year was rough, I’m not going to lie.

Dirk Nowitzki

And that was difficult for Nowitzki to swallow. Especially because Nelson had proclaimed — before Nowitzki’s 1998-99 rookie season — that the product from Germany would win the Rookie of the Year award.

But Nowitzki struggled mightily as a rookie, and wound up averaging only 8.2 points and 3.4 rebounds. He even questioned his own abilities to make it in the NBA.

“There’s some doubt creeping in obviously in every competitor,” Nowitzki said. “I’m glad I stuck with it and tried to get better.”

So, too, are the Mavs.

In a career that has spanned three decades, Nowitzki has become an iconic figure in Dallas sports. Perched right up there with Roger Staubach, Nolan Ryan, Mike Modano, Emmitt Smith and Troy Aikman.

How can you not love the guy. Scoring 30,000 is obviously monumental, but ... just what he’s done to get here is what makes it special.

Cuban said Nowitzki’s “talent, effort, mindset and humility off the court” is what makes him iconic.

“How can you not love the guy,” Cuban asked. “Scoring 30,000 is obviously monumental, but ... just what he’s done to get here is what makes it special.”

And getting there is why one day Cuban plans on having a statue of Nowitzki perched outside of American Airlines Center. A statue that includes Nowitzki’s No. 41 jersey, and depicting the 7-footer shooting his famed one-legged fallaway jump shot.

“It’s got to be 41 feet tall,” Cuban said. “So I would hope it would be a one-legged 41-foot tall [statue].”